Here Comes Christmas & the New Year

Well, what do you know !  It’s been another year !

     Time to celebrate, so give a smile and a cheer !  

Of course, we thank God as our blessings we count.

Such help He has given — every day a great amount. 

It was the Lord’s doing to sell our PV place. 

    With no ads, no For Sale sign, it was amazing.

We hadn’t even put it up for sale — 

It sold so quickly; God’s the one we are praising.

     

We’ve rented a townhouse in Cottonwood that’s nice.  

                 Robert &Lori gave good help and advice.

            Downsizing, rearranging has been a new chore;

            We’re thankful for the Lord’s direction so much more. 

Growing older is something really new — 

     it seems to happen to us !   How about you ?

Write down things you recall from your past;

Save those memories from your brain at last.

Count your blessings, can you still sing that song ?

     Appreciate those good days all year long ! 

Let’s try to keep on keeping in touch,

Don and I care about YOU so much. 

Yes, anticipate challenges you’ll face,

     Call them Opportunities to grow in grace.

We thank God for His love and care;

We ask Him to bless YOU in our daily prayer.  

So enjoy Christmas — and in the Bible you’ll read

     Jesus came to be our Savior, so heed  !

Who knows how much longer we’ll live here,

When Heaven’s our home, goodbye to fear ! 

by Elaine Hardt ©2019

Your Unique Adventure

Another day, more things to do.  

Keeps your brain and body working, too.

Unexpected interruptions?  Probably . . . 

Wake up, get going! You will soon see.

What’s the best attitude for today?

Well, now is the time to start to pray! 

Ask God for wisdom, health, and energy;

Problems can bring opportunity!

Determination is what you need;

Be glad you can concentrate and succeed.

Conquer any anger, fear, and frustration;

Anticipate your coming celebration.  

Your example can challenge someone, too.

This new day will be interesting for you.

Be open to doing good, and learning how;

Your unique adventure for today starts now! 

                     + + + 

by Elaine Hardt ©2019

Sing a New Song for a New Day, a New Year

The sun arose from darkness and shone brightly today;

I give thanks to our mighty Creator 

Who made all of His creation so magnificent and fine.

I give thanks for the roof over my head today

And the stuff I have accumulated

All the necessities that I say are mine.

I give thanks for the people in my life today:

Husband, our sons and their wives, and grandkids,

And I’m blessed with a good extended family.

I give thanks for the occasions I expect:

Looking forward to the days that will follow;

On to the future with opportunity.

I give thanks for what I’ve learned and know today,

Even the unexpected troubles did their job;

Challenges made me respond and grow.

I give thanks for finding Jesus, the Savior!

Amazing how He brought salvation, 

And I appreciate this reality to know

I give thanks for the invitation to pray:

To unload my burdens of confusion,

To ask and receive forgiveness for every sin.

I give thanks for this new day, this new year!

I acknowledge my uncertainties to Him

And I celebrate His blessed love I’ve received within.

by Elaine Hardt ©2016

Have Yourself a Blessed, Happy New Year

Here comes a jolly celebration in lots of places!

   Perhaps you will be going out on the town,

But do have yourself a blessed Happy New Year,

   Anticipating the future, without a frown.

Yes, there will be many challenges unforeseen,

   And some you already have been warned about,

But claim those as opportunities to grow;

   With a positive outlook, no need to doubt.

When Holidays H-U-R-T !!!

     Gifts!  cards, parties, family dinners! Name any holiday, the stores are decorated and merchandise abounds. You can’t escape it! But not everyone can anticipate an enjoyable celebration.

     Many men and women have hurt feelings about holidays; most will keep their emotions under careful control.  Here comes Christmas; how do you feel about that? 
        Father’s Day might bring up some unhappy memories.  Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and even New Year's Eve may stir up old baggage that lingers on, every year again wounding the soul.

        Going to church on a holiday may make things worse, if all you’ll hear are platitudes and detailed examples of the perfect dad or the perfect mom or the perfect family.  If a greeting card is too “sweet” or too sarcastic that can hurt.  

      If you wince at the approach of some particular occasion don’t continue in this pattern; there’s a breakthrough for you.  If you are a relative of someone who dislikes certain observances there may be things you can do to ease the situation.

A person needs a strategy.

       Give yourself permission to take a few moments here. Step back from the immediate circumstances and take a dispassionate look at it. 

Then, Now, and Coming Soon!

Consider the old,
Plan now for the new;
Challenges are ahead
Soon coming to you.

What needs to be fixed?
What can be rearranged?
What has to be learned?
What has to be changed?

Sizing Up Last Year

Here’s a little challenge, a reminder that has good potential benefits for each of us. Consider the events of last year: What was the best? What was the worst?
What new skill did you attempt?  What plan of yours succeeded?
What’s the most helpful lesson you learned?
From aggravation to inspiration, we can learn from a little time spent in assessing and analyzing the year just past. This puts us in a better position to make improvements in the coming year.
May your new year be bright
As you clarify your sight;
May you learn and do well,
Your story of faith, tell.
May you grow inwardly stronger
As you live your life longer!
God has blessings to give,
It’s your choice how to live.

By Elaine Hardt ©2011

Have a Great 2011

Here’s a vision of a golden new day
And the new year that’s coming your way,
And here’s a blessing prayed over you
That your year be wonderful, too.

May each day of 2011 be golden and bright;
May you be blessed from morning through night.
Struggles will come, but you can grow stronger;
Don’t give up when life’s challenges last longer.

Take a Look

A Look at New Year's Eve,
With Suggestions for New Year's Day

Will it be another grand occasion,
A New Year’s celebration,
A putting-on an attitude, party-on time?

Will there be parades for viewing,
Football games, and over-doing,
All the sociable expectations that come to mind?

Or will there be time for introspection,
Honest sizing-up intentions,
Looking for a sincerely spiritual point of view?

Could we look past the drinking, eating,
the people that we’re meeting,
not neglecting what’s most important for anyone to do?

We could pause for reflection,
Confess we’ve missed perfection,
Gratefully consider how greatly God has been blessing you.

Learn from situations of the past,
Forgive each other now, at last,
And schedule in time to daily pray and read God’s Word, too.

So, let’s go past the decorations,
The New Year’s speculations,
Despite the troubles looming all around the world we see.

Let’s choose to have a brand-new Year
With confidence, not fear,
Trusting and walking with the Lord obediently.

by Elaine Hardt ©2006